Blood is Life
by mikromb13
Summary: COMPLETED One night on his way home from work, Cody sees a mysterious figure in the park. Could this be the ghost of a recent murder victim? Story is better than the summary PLEASE READ AND REVIEW Alternate Ending up, Chapter 14,
1. Working Late

**Blood is Life**

**(A/N) I only own my OCs**

Summary: One night on his way home from work, Cody sees a mysterious figure in the park. Could this be the ghost of a recent murder victim?

**Chapter 1: Working late**

"Hey Cody!"

Fourteen year old Cody Martin turned around, wondering who had called him. The voice turned out to belong to Wayne Phillips (A/N I don't know if that's his last name in the show but for this story it is, I don't own him) his boss. Wayne was several years older than Cody and about a foot taller. He had a large chubby build, short brown hair, and brown eyes.

"Cody." Wayne called again as Cody made his way over to the cash register.

"Yeah, what's up?" He replied.

"I got to leave a little early tonight." Wayne said in a somewhat conceited tone. "Some _lovely_ ladies want to play a little wheel-o-Wayne. So I need you to work late and close the place up. I'm sure you can handle it."

_Those never get old. _Cody thought _Wheel-o-Wayne??_

"Um…yea," Cody said, giving him an "ook" look. "It shouldn't be a problem."

"Great."

Several weeks ago, Cody had gotten a job at the Paul Revere Mini-Mart. He had sped through his training, and it wasn't long before Wayne could trust him to pretty much run the store. He was basically a manager without the title, and even Wayne sometimes asked him for help, especially when it came to ordering more product.

Seeing that Wayne was done with him, Cody went back to stocking the snack shelves. _He's got to get out more_. He thought. _Maybe this will be a good thing. Besides I could use the extra money._

After he finished the snack shelves, Cody moved onto rotating the frozen foods. It was always his least favorite duty because the aisle was so cold. He was relieved when his phone rang, so he could go outside and warm up. "H-Hello?" He answered, still shivering.

"Hey Cody," It was his twin brother Zack. Zack was the older of the two twins. Although Zack would protect his younger brother from bullies at school, he often ordered him around also. "We're out of ice cream. You wouldn't mind bringing some home? Didn't think so."

"With what money?" Cody replied coolly. He hated when his brother ordered him around. "You already spent all _my_ money down at the game room…and on your date last night."

"Find some." Zack ordered. "I know you still have a few bucks left. Use your discount, then you won't be broke when I go to the game room tomorrow."

"Fine," Cody said, "But tell mom I've gotta close up tonight, so I'll be home later."

Before his brother could say anything more, Cody closed up his phone and put it back in his pocket. Reluctantly, he headed back to frozen foods.

* * *

At nine o clock, Cody locked the front door and began closing the store for the night. He mopped the floor, covered the fruit shelves, and counted down the cash register. At nine-thirty, he clocked out, grabbed his skateboard and headed home. Cody had barely reached the corner, when he came to a screeching halt. 

"Shit," He muttered to himself. "I forgot Zack's ice cream."

He turned around, went back to the mini-mart, and bought a container of chocolate ice cream. On his way out, he glanced up at the clock; ten. "I'm dead." He muttered in a similar tone.

After leaving the mini-mart for the second time, Cody skated as fast as he could back towards the Tipton hotel. To save some time, he decided to cut through the park. Suddenly, Cody saw something right in front of him. He stopped so fast, he almost went flat on his face. Luckily he caught himself just in time. "Whoa that was close." He said.

When Cody locked up, his eyes widened and fear rooted him to the spot. Standing there was a boy about his age. The boy had dark hair, in a mushroom cut. His skin was as white as snow and glowed in the moonlight. He had dark purplish-black bruises on his arms and face. His clothes were covered with dried blood that emitted from a hole in the middle of chest. His outline also seemed to fade off.

As Cody's gaze continued up back to eye level, his eyes quickly filled with true horror. The boy had a second trail of blood from a hole in his forehead, and then Cody made eye contact. The boy's eyes were each surrounded with very dark circles and were shrunken in. His pupils were also completely dilated, and filled with anger and fear. Cody had never seen a pair of eyes like them before. The mere sight of them seemed to burn into him.

Cody tried to scream, but it felt as if his lungs were frozen. His mouth just hung open, completely silenced, his lower lip trembling. About half a second later, Cody's legs found some feeling. He stumbled backwards over his skateboard, and landed flat on his butt. Cody quaked with fear as the boy took a step towards him. All Cody could think was, _Oh God! Oh God! Oh God!_

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**(A/N) Please R&R Kind of a slow chapter except for the end, but I promise the story will pick up. Please let me know what you think so far, so I know if or not to continue the story.  
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	2. Fears Confirmed, Another Encounter

**(A/N) I only own my OCs**

The italics are thoughts; most of the ones in this chapter are Cody's.

**Chapter 2: Fears Confirmed, Another Encounter**

Cody watched helplessly as the boy took another step closer. Fear gripped every part of his body. He kicked his skateboard towards the boy, as if trying to trip him up. No such luck. To Cody's amazement, and added terror, the board went right through the boy's legs! The spectra then took one final step forward before slowly vanishing, leaving the blond boy alone and petrified.

_What was that?_ Cody thought as he collected himself. _I think it was a ghost, but wait ghosts don't exist! But his skin…and those eyes. Those eyes._

Try as he might, Cody could not get the picture of the boy's eyes out of his memory. They were so angry and yet so fearful. Finally finding some strength, Cody stood up and ran as fast as he could back to the Tipton hotel. He left the spot so fast, he completely forgot the skateboard, along with the ice cream.

Out of breath, Cody finally reached the Tipton. He bolted past a few surprised guests and ran smack into London Tipton. London was the daughter of hotel's owner, and the heiress to the Tipton fortune. "Hey watch it!" She whined until she saw it was Cody. "Oh hi Cody, what's the rush? You look like you just saw a ghost."

"Um, i-i-it's n-n-nothing." He stammered. "I-I-I j-just gotta g-get home." London just gave him a confused look as he dodged around her and practically dove into the elevator. His he punched the "23" button so many times it hurt. He looked at his finger, it was bright red. He ignored the pain and continued to punch the button until a loud ding told him he was on his floor. Cody stepped out of the elevator and tried to calm himself down. Finally breathing at a normal rate, Cody turned towards his suite.

As Cody turned, the color completely drained from his face. The boy was standing stiff as board in the hallway. Cody blinked and the boy was gone again.

_I must be seeing things. Yea that's it. It's been a long day…my eyes are playing tricks on me._

Cody opened the door to his suite and quickly slammed it behind him. Zack was sitting on the couch, dressed for bed. Zack was so busy watching TV, he didn't even notice Cody come in. Carry, their mother, was washing a few remaining dishes. Unfortunately for Cody, she was not as oblivious, as not very happy. "It's 10:30, young man where have you been?" She said, turning off the water. "Do you know…Oh my God, Cody what happened? You're as white as a sheet!"

Cody just looked at her. _What should I say? If I tell her I thought I saw a ghost? She'd think I was crazy! She'll make me quit my job, thinking it's too stressful for me to handle. No I have to try and act normal._

"So, what's for d-dinner?" He asked as calm as possible. "I-I'm fine, j-just a long day."

"Don't change the subject." Carry said, concerned. "Cody, tell me, what happened? Did someone try to hurt you?"

_Something…_He thought. "N-no I'm fine." He lied. "Just a little hungry. And tired" Then he saw what dinner was, Carry's homemade chicken casserole, at least he thought it was chicken. "On second thought, I think I'm just going to go to bed. I'm not _that_ hungry."

"Well I am." A voice came from the couch.

Zack got up and walked over to the freezer. He dug through some frozen vegetables and fries. Soon he discovered there wasn't any ice cream in there. "So Cody, where'd you put the ice cream?" He said, sounding a little annoyed.

_Uh…boy._ Cody thought, his fear fading away. _I must have left it in the park... along with my skateboard! This is just great! Wayne owes me big for this one!_

"Um…yea." He began. "The ice cream…"

"Yea so where is it?" Zack asked, sounding a little more annoyed.

"The truth is, I-I ate it all on my way home." He lied as he glanced over at his mother. She was wrapping up the casserole. When she finished she placed it in the fridge and walked over. "That's why I'm not hungry, 'cause I ate all the ice cream. Mmmm chocolate"

Zack crossed his arms across his chest, and Carry just raised an eyebrow. "Cody," Zack began, glaring at him. "Don't lie to me. You can't lie. You stink at it! "You-"

Zack's gaze suddenly shot the image of the ghost-boy's eyes piercing through Cody's mind again. Cody's fear returned completely and hit him full force. The color instantly drained from his face again. Cody then fell to his knees and began sobbing. He had already been scared senseless, and couldn't take being yelled at by his brother. "Zack, please stop. Please. Please" His voice was filled with fear and grew fainter with each "please."

Zack's gaze softened and he uncrossed his arms. _Why is he so scared?_ Zack wondered. _It's not that big of a deal!_

"Hey buddy, it's ok." Zack said trying to calm him down. Carry also knelt down and hugged him. Cody trembled in her grasp trying to calm down. _Those eyes…those eyes._

"Cody…please, tell me. What happened?" Carry said, really concerned now.

"You…wouldn't…believe…me…if…I…told…you." Cody said between sobs.

"Yes we would." Zack replied. "Tell us. It's not like you saw a ghost and its stalking you now." Zack laughed at the stupidity of his last statement. Cody didn't answer, his face said it all.

"Cody how many times do I have to tell you?" Carry said. "There's no such thing as ghosts."

"Yea remember that night we spent in suite 613?" Zack said, shuddering at the memory, but knew it would cheer Cody up. "Remember Arwin was behind everything that happened? There are no ghosts."

"Guess you're right," Cody said drying his face and wiping his eyes on his sleeve. "I'm going to bed, goodnight mom."

Zack decided to go to bed also. He and Cody brushed their teeth and climbed into bed. Cody was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. He tossed and turned as thoughts of the boy from the park haunted his dreams. He shivered in his sleep, not even realizing the temperature in the room was dropping rapidly. He was completely unaware that another presence was watching him sleep…

* * *

In the morning, Cody woke up drenched in cold sweat. _Morning, thank God_. He thought. Zack was still asleep, snoring loudly. Cody left his sleeping brother and went into the kitchen. Carry was already up making pancakes. "Good morning sweetie." She said as if nothing had happened the night before. "How many pancakes you want?" 

"Three." He replied. _Maybe it was all a crazy dream._

"Why don't you watch some TV while these finish up and go wake up your brother." Carry said, flipping one of the pancakes.

"Zack! Pancakes!" Cody called as he plopped himself down on the couch and turned on the TV.

"Welcome back to Channel 13 news." A man in black suit with a large smile said. "Looks like another beautiful summer day, with a high of 85. Some showers may move in in the late afternoon and early evening, so be sure to get to the beach nice and earlier." He then put a hand up to his ear and muttered something to himself "This just in." He said, talking loud enough again for camera to hear. "some breaking news, we'll go to Andrew for the story. Andrew."

"This should be interesting." Cody said, mostly to himself. The camera cut to a man standing in front of an ambulance in the park. Cody had to look twice at the TV. _No, it can't be..._

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** (A/N) Please R&R again I only own my OCs**


	3. Mystery Revealed

**Chapter 3 The Mystery Revealed**

(A/N the ending of this chapter was inspired by a combination of a dream I had, and several movies I saw recently. See the note at the end of the chapter for a full explanation. Again I only own my OCs.

**-Zack's POV-**

"Zack! Pancakes!" I heard Cody yell. Oddly, I was ok with him waking me up, especially on a saturday. I hadn't slept well all night. I couldn't stop thinking about how Cody had acted since he got home. He was fine last time I talked to him, why was he so spooked? He's too smart to think ghosts or any like that exists.

I climbed out of bed and walked into the living room. I saw Cody was sitting on the couch watching the news. Its summer not to mention the weekend, and he's watching the news! I'll never understand him.

"Zack you want chocolate chips?" My mom said to me as I walked to the kitchen and poured myself a glass of juice.

"Yea sure.. How 'bout you Cody? Cody?" It was no use, his eyes were glued to the TV. Even though it was Cody, I turned to the TV, maybe I could figure out what was more interesting than chocolate chip pancakes.

"…_we go to Andrew for the story. Andrew."_ The announcer said. The screen cut to a reporter in the park. When Cody saw this, his eyes seemed to widen. _What? _I thought to myself.

"_Thank you Tom. Parents you may want to turn the kids away for this one. Boston police believe they have found the body of fourteen year old Matthew Pike." _

The TV cut to a school picture of a fourteen year old boy. He had dark brown hair that was worn in a mushroom cut. His brown eyes seemed to be looking outside the TV, almost as if he was looking right at whoever was watching the broadcast. His smile seemed almost devilish. It was the same smile I used to pick up girls. _This kid must have been great with the ladies_. I thought to myself.

Suddenly I heard a loud clicking sound. I looked down at my brother. The remote was shaking violently in his hands. His mouth was wide open. With each passing second he seemed to get more and more uneasy.

"_The boy had been missing for just over a week. He was presumed dead, but search efforts continued. Today's finding has confirmed the family's worst fears. He was found in a shallow area of Revere Lake, located next to Liberty Park. It was apparent he died after suffering dual gunshot wounds, one to the chest…the other to the head. Forensic investigators will be on the scene throughout the day. If you have any information regarding Matthew's disappearance or his killer, please contact the Boston Police Department as soon as possible. From Liberty Park this is Andrew Metcarno, signing off. Back to you Tom."_

"Boys! Breakfast!" Mom yelled as she set down two stacks of pancakes on the table. "I'm going shopping. Be back in awhile. Love you."

"Love you." I called back. Cody just nodded.

I took the remote from Cody and turned off the TV before bolting over to table. I grabbed the syrup and began drowning my pancakes. I looked up, Cody continued to just sit there, staring at the TV. "Hey Codster, pancakes!" I called between chews.

"What? Oh yeah." He said as he walked over to the table and sat down. He poured himself a glass of orange juice and poured some syrup on his pancakes. Slowly, he began eating his breakfast.

"Well I'm full." He said two bites and a drink of juice later. He pushed his plate away, but stayed firmly seated in his chair. His face had a distant look on it. It seemed even though he was right next to me, his mind was worlds away.

"Cool!" I said as I grabbed his plate and began dowsing his…well mine now, pancakes in more syrup. "I guess you won't mind if I finish these." I

"Huh?" He said, finally back with me. "No you can have them. Just take it easy on the syrup."

"Yea, ok" I snickered back. "Hey you want to go to the park today and check the crime scene out?" With that I thought I saw Cody shiver, but he was as still as a statue.

Cody then raised an eyebrow. "Yea let's go botch up the investigation so you can have fun with other peoples' misfortunes! No."

"Aw come on" I coaxed. "You always talk about how much you love science. This is your chance to see some real stuff in action!"

"No."

"Fine. So you wanna hit the skate park then? Or is that gonna freak you out too?"

Cody just shook his head. "Look I'm gonna go take a shower and get dressed. If I watch you eat anymore I'm gonna puke."

With that, Cody stormed across the room and went into our room. The next thing I knew, he was bolting for the bathroom. He ran in and slammed the door shut. Moments later I heard Cody scream followed by a loud thud.

"Cody!" I ran over and tried to open the door. It was locked. I pounded helplessly on the door. "Cody! You all right? CODY!" _I had to get to him!_

"AHH! Leave me alone!" He screamed, his voice filled with terror. "ZACK! HELP ME!"

"CODY!" I ran into our room and dug through my bottom dresser drawer. "Come on where is it? Here. HANG ON CODY!" I grabbed my woodshop screwdriver kit, and ran back to the bathroom door. I heard Cody scream one last time then silence. Seconds passed like hours as I picked the lock. _CLICK._ I got it! I whipped the door open and my little brother fell forward into my arms. He was unconscious, and his skin was ice cold

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**What happened to Cody? Read on to find out and please review/shoot me some feedback also.**

**(A/N).The ending event was inspired by The Sixth Sense, The Devil's Backbone (pretty good movie, even though its in Spanish) and a dream I had a little while ago. While the events from Zack POV sway further towards The Sixth Sense, what actually occurs between Cody and Matt is drawn from an idea I got after watching The Devil's Backbone. The main ghost (Santi) of that movie also is the visual inspiration for the ghost of Matt, however, Santi was much younger and drowned to death after being knocked out.**


	4. He Returns

**Chapter 4: He Returns**

(A/N) This chapter begins with the sequence of events from the end of the last chapter, except this time they concentrate on what happened between Cody and Matthew. Again the events were inspired by The Sixth Sense/The Devil's Backbone.

Disclaimer: I only own my OCs.

**-Normal POV-**

"…If I watch you eat anymore, I'm gonna puke." Cody said with a look of disgust on his face. He got up from the table and walked back to his and Zack's room muttering to himself.

"_How could he be so inconsiderate of them?" _ Cody thought._ "Oh yeah! It's Zack! I bet that stuff would be cool, and I gotta get my skateboard…I just don't want to back there, at least not till all this passes, and I can get on with my life."_

Cody continued to shake his head as he entered the bedroom and headed for his dresser. He grabbed a pair of boxers, socks, and a pair of khaki shorts. He then made his way over to closet. As he walked over, he suddenly felt a rush of cold air. Cody shivered and blew on his hands.

_I musta left the window open._ He thought. Looking outside,. Cody saw several trees fluttering in the wind. _Yea that's it._ He detoured over to the window. When he got there, he was surprised to find it closed. Cody just shrugged and walked over to the closet and grabbed his favorite shirt.

He pulled the shirt off the hanger, revealing a face staring back at him. A face with a bloody hole in its forehead, brown hair in a mushroom cut, and a pair of angry, mind piercing eyes. The ghost of Matthew Pike was staring right at him! A half second later Cody recovered from the initial startle of seeing the face in his closet. He quickly came to realize who was facing him.

Too scared to scream, Cody turned and ran as fast as he could out of the room and into the bathroom. He slammed the door and threw the lock over. Breathing heavily, Cody leaned against the door. _Calm down, calm down. You're dreaming._ _Calm down. It's just a dream. _He told himself over and over. Cody walked over to sink, took off his shirt, and splashed cold water on his face and body, hoping the shock would wake him up. As he splashed himself, some of the water spilled on the floor, creating a small puddle . He sighed and looked up at himself in the mirror.

Suddenly, Cody felt something ice cold brush his back and his heat instantly disappeared. It left a feeling colder than any Cody had ever felt or could have even imagined. It felt like someone had spilled liquid nitrogen on him.

Cody screamed from the shock and spun around. He was expecting to see Zack there with an ice cube or ice pack, trying to freak him out. Instead he saw Matthew standing there with his arm outstretched. Cody's scream intensified as his eyes widened to the size of golf balls. He quickly scurried back, trying to put as much distance between him and Matthew as possible. He slipped in the water he had spilled and landed with a loud thud. Pain exploded from his lower back, but Cody ignored it. He was too preoccupied with getting away from Matthew as soon as possible. He pulled himself backwards until he felt something hard. The wall.

Matthew began walking forward, closing the gap between him and the petrified blond boy. As he moved, he almost seemed to glide over the floor. Unlike the night before however, this time, he didn't disappear. His hand was raised slightly so it was at about the same level as Cody's face.

Cody's face went as white as Matthew's when he realized the full extent of his situation. There was only one way out of the room: through a locked door. A locked door that was located behind Matthew. _I'm trapped! _He said to himself.

"AHH!" Cody screamed again, in the distance he heard pounding on the door and the sound of his brother's voice. "LEAVE ME ALONE! ZACK HELP ME!"

Cody turned over, and leapt to his feet. He dove into the shower stall flinging the door shut.. He sat with his back against the door, using his body to hold it closed. Cody could feel the door pushing against him. Matthew was trying to open it! Trembling and screaming, Cody leaned all his weight back into the door, holding it shut. Suddenly the resistance was gone, and the door stayed closed effortlessly.

Breathing heavily, Cody just sat against the door for about a minute. He saw a small pool of blood forming behind him. Cody touched his back and realized he was bleeding from where the door had been pressing against him. Slowly he got to his feet and cracked the door open slightly…

A dark, shrunken eye with a dilated pupil filled Cody's vision. The stall door then flew open so fast Cody was barely able to jump back in time. Matthew stood about a foot away from him, his eyes filled with even more anger than before.

Screaming, and covering his face with his arms, Cody burst out of the stall, making a beeline for the door. He went right through Matthew's body, draining all of Cody's body heat instantly on contact. It felt like he had just jumped into the Arctic ocean . The cold was like a thousand knives stabbing him all over. Just like before though, he was completely oblivious to the pain.

A few steps later, Cody slipped again in the puddle of water that was still on the floor. He fell forward and his head slammed against the counter. The impact silenced his scream. The last thing Cody saw was the bathroom door, _I'm almost there!_ He thought as his vision spun and blurred before going to complete black. His limp form then fell against the door, just as Zack whipped it open.

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**(A/N) Please Read and Review. Sorry it was kinda short, the next one will be longer.**


	5. The Truth

**Chapter 5: The Truth**

**(A/N) I only own my own OCs**, **Crystal belongs to CrystalizedChaos**

Cody woke up lying on the couch. He felt a lump underneath his back, which turned out to be a bandage. The room was unbearably hot. Zack sat on the floor in front of the couch watching TV. He was sweating profusely and his hair stuck to back of his neck.

"Zack, why's it so hot in here?" Cody asked wiping some sweat off his forehead. He had a raging headache and the heat wasn't doing anything to help. All it was doing was making him extremely tired. "How'd I end up on the couch?"

"Oh you're awake." Zack said looking up at him. "I put you there. When I finally got the door open, you were unconscious and bleeding. I put a bandage on your cut and laid you down on the couch."

_ZACK FLASHBACK _

_-Normal POV-_

_CLICK!_

"_Got it!" Zack said as flung the bathroom door open. Cody fell through the door and Zack caught him "Cody?" Zack said, stunned. "Buddy you ok?"_

_No answer._

"_He's as cold as ice." Zack thought, then he saw a red line in the middle of Cody's back. A small trail of blood was still leading out of it. _

_Zack gently set Cody down against the wall and checked for a pulse. "Please don't be dead." He saw Cody's chest rise and let out a sigh of relief._

_Zack then grabbed a bandage out of the medicine cabinet above the bathroom sink. He saw the puddle of water and concluded Cody must have slipped at some point. "That still doesn't explain his body temperature." Zack thought. He ran back to his brother and put the bandage on Cody's cut. "Come on wake up buddy."_

_Zack carried Cody to the living room couch and laid him down on his back, using the pressure of Cody's body weight to stop the bleeding. Zack then ran over to the thermostat and turned up the temperature pass 100 degrees. "That should do it." He said. "Soon he should be back to normal."_

_Zack called Carry next, but she didn't answer her phone. Shrugging, Zack hung up his phone. "All I can do now is wait." Zack said hopelessly._

_Zack sat down by his brother, turned on the TV and flipped to the history channel. It was Cody's favorite channel, maybe hearing it would wake him up. Soon, Zack started to sweat from the temperature, but he didn't care. He brother needed the heat, he would just have to stick it out. _

_END FLASHBACK_

-Normal POV-

"Thanks, but why is it so hot?" Cody asked.

"You as cold as an ice cube, so I turned up the temperature a little."

"A little?"

"Ok, a lot." Zack said. He started speaking faster and faster. "Cody, what'd you do? You were ice cold! You were bleeding! What happened in there? Tell me!"

"I don't wanna talk about it," Cody said with a groan. "My head, Zack please turn down the heat. It's making the pain worse."

"Cody please tell me."

"I don't…want…to…talk about it."

Zack shrugged, trying to control his temper. All he knew was his brother had been screaming for help at the top of his lungs. Then when Zack had finally got to him, he was colder than ice, bleeding, and unconscious. Now Cody wouldn't even tell him what happened!

"Fine, but when I get back, you're _going_ to tell me what this big secret is." Zack said, making quotes with his fingers when he said "secret." Cody nodded reluctantly. Zack walked over to the thermostat and turned it down.

_He's gonna try to force it out of me sooner or later,_ Cody muttered to himself_. So it'll probably be better to tell him now, before he does something I'll regret. He won't believe me anyway. I just gotta figure out how to word it._

Zack made his way back over to Cody. When he got back his blood started to boil, and it wasn't from the heat. Cody had fallen asleep. Unable to control his temper anymore, Zack punched the wall, hitting a stud.

"Ahhh! Son of a bitch." He growled as he rubbed his hand.

A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Zack walked over and looked through the peak hole. On the other side of the door was a girl his age with black hair that had a single blue stand in it.

"Hi Crystal." He said opening the door. "What's up?"

"Is Cody around?" She asked. "I have to talk to him."

"He's asleep on the couch." Zack said pointing.

"Oh, ok." She turned to leave.

"Actually can I talk to you for a minute about him?" Zack asked. "It's pretty serious."

She nodded. "Let's go in the hall."

Zack closed the door behind him. Then he told her everything; the way Cody had acted the night before, his uneasiness while watching the news, and what he knew about the incident in the bathroom and how Cody had been ice cold when Zack finally had gotten him out. Crystal listened intently as she took it all in. "I'm really worried about him." Zack finished. "And the worst part is, he won't tell me anything."

"You think it could be stress? Sometimes stress causes things like that to happen. That might explain why he was so cold when you found him."

"I don't know. Why would he be stressed out? It's summer vacation. Not to mention, he loves his job, so it can't be that. Can you talk to him? Maybe he'll tell you."

"OK." She said. With that, Zack decided to go down to the Tipton restaurant and get some lunch. Crystal walked into the suite and gently shook Cody awake.

"Hey Crystal, whassamatter?" He said groggily.

"Hi Cody." She said. "If I ask you something can you be completely honest with me? No matter what?"

"Sure, I promise."

"Ok, here goes." She began. "Cody, what happened to you last night? Also what happened this morning"

"Did Zack ask you to do this?" He said, snapping up. _This is just great. I can't break my promise. But she'll think I'm crazy! _"Ok, you promise you won't think I'm crazy? Ok, I was on my way home from work and a saw…and saw…"

"What'd you see?"

Cody lowered his voice to just above a whisper. "A ghost." Then on the news this morning I saw the same person, in a picture on the news. They said the police had found his body. His name was Matthew. That's how I know the person I saw was a ghost" He went on to describe Matthew's appearance the night before; the holes and blood on his body, his skin, and his eyes. "They were the scariest eyes I've ever seen."

Crystal didn't say anything, so Cody continued on to describe what happened that morning. He told her about seeing Matthew in his closet and in the bathroom. "The last thing I remember was running. It was so cold. It was like heat doesn't even exist. I felt something wet, then everything went black."

A brief moment of silence told her he was done talking and it was her turn.

"Well anyway, I've got to go." She said uncomfortably. "Zack will be getting back soon"

"You don't believe me do you?"

"It's not that. I-I do."

"No you don't." Tears began forming in Cody's eyes. He began to shake with anger. _I should'a kept quiet. Why can't I ever keep my mouth shut??_ "You think I've lost it don't you?"

"Cody, please I don't need this right now."

"Why what's your problem." Cody said coldly.

"Look, I knew Matthew. He was a former friend of mine." She said starting tremble a little, tears started forming in her eyes. "We had a big fight about a year ago and haven't spoken since. When I heard he went missing, it was devastating. Now that he's been killed, I feel awful. That's why I'm here. I wanted you to go to the funeral with me."

Cody's face and voice soften as he reached over and hugged her. "What happened? Why'd you guys fight?"

"Until about a year ago, he was the nicest person you could ever know. Then something-I don't know what, changed him. He became the meanest, cruelest kid around. So I told him, I never wanted to speak to him again. It was the last thing I ever said to him." She had a stream of tears running down her face.

Cody hugged her closer and said, "I'll go with you, just please promise me you won't think I'm crazy."

"Ok."

* * *

**(A/N) Please Read and Review**


	6. The Meeting

**Chapter 6: The Meeting**

(A/N) I only own my OCS.

"Crystal, can you please stay with me until Zack gets back?" Cody asked as she got up to leave.

"He should be back any minute." Crystal replied heading for the door. She looked back at Cody. His face was steadily losing color. "Cody what's wrong?"

"I don't want to be alone." The incident from that morning was still fresh in his mind.

"Since when are you afraid to be left alone?" She asked with a slight giggle.

"He'll come back."

"Cody."

"He'll come back! I know it!"

"Who will come back?" A voice said from the door. Cody and Crystal both looked over to see Zack standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame. "Confession time Cody. Now!"

"It's ok Cody, just tell him everything. I'll see you tomorrow morning. 9 o'clock." Crystal said, giving Cody a small kiss on the cheek. "Bye and thank you."

With that, she walked past Zack and out of the suite. After she was gone, Zack's eyes narrowed. "You told her, and yet you won't even tell your twin?" Zack continued to glare at him.

"Fine, here goes." Cody began. "Zack remember last night you said there's no such thing as ghosts? You're wrong. I saw one! That's why I 'acted weird.' He came back again this morning. That's what happened."

"A ghost?" Zack just raised an eyebrow.

"I don't expect you to believe me. In fact, I know you won't. I know what I saw, and I know what I felt." Cody began to shake. "I know you can see that cut on my back, cause you tended to it. You want to know how I got it? I was hiding, in the shower stall, holding the door shut. He kept trying to push it open. I could feel the handle digging into me! I just wanted it to end."

Zack squirmed a little, Cody was starting to scare him. Zack didn't believe in ghosts, but he could tell that Cody wasn't lying either. "So you think that kid from the news earlier is haunting you?"

"YES!" Cody yelled. "You need more proof? Where's my skateboard? You think I would just leave it in the park for no reason? NO! I was too scared to even think about it!"

"Look buddy, you got a lot going on. I mean you got your job and that AP summer assignment. It was probably a nightmare that you think is real and…"

"I'M NOT GOING CRAZY!" Cody retorted. He had tears in his eyes. He was shaking badly now. _I know Crystal didn't believe me and now Zack thinks I'm having a nervous breakdown._

Zack was taken aback by Cody's anger. "Look buddy, I never said that."

"But you meant it! I'm crazy! Just go ahead! Say it!"

"Cody…"

"Just leave me alone." Cody said as he stormed over to the coat closet and grabbed a gray hoody. He left Zack stunned in the suite and made his way over to the elevator, On his way down to the lobby, he thought about the irony of his last sentence.

A ding told Cody he had arrived on the ground floor. He bolted out of the elevator and headed for the door, receiving an angry yell and dirty look from Mr. Moseby, the hotel manager. _No more running away._ He said to himself. _I'm putting an end to this now!_

Cody was still a little cold, so he welcomed the sun's heat. Once outside the hotel, Cody ran towards the park. Cody ran as fast as he could, drawing several looks from people as he passed them. Cody didn't care, there was only one face he wanted to see. _It ends now_. He told himself over and over.

After arriving at Liberty Park, Cody ran over to the area near Revere Lake, the area where the police had founded Matthew's body. The whole lake was roped off with tape that said "CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS." A couple of detectives were on the other side of the lake, checking around for clues.

Stopping in some bushes by the lake, Cody began to yell Matthew's name. "Matthew! Matthew Pike!" The detectives were out of earshot, so they couldn't hear him.

Somewhat to Cody's surprise, Matthew appeared in front of him. Even though it was day, Matthew's eyes still spooked Cody out. Cody's anger stopped his fear this time, at least for the time being.

"I-I'm not running this time." He said in the bravest voice he could muster. Matthew continued to stare at him, never breaking eye contact. "W-What do you want from me? Why won't you leave me alone? WHY THE HELL AM I SO SPECIAL!"

Matthew continued to stare silently, his eyes never left Cody's.

"ANSWER ME!" Cody was breathing heavily now. Matthew remained silent as he took a single step forward. Cody began to shake as Matthew continued to hold eye contact. Cody stood his ground however. "Please, answer me. What do you want from me?"

Finally, Matthew spoke. He voice was extremely dry and wispy. "Blood is life"

With that, he vanished, leaving Cody alone.

* * *

**(A/N) Sorry this chapter was alittle short. I was going to add another twist, but I think I'll save it for the next chapter. Please Read and Review **


	7. The Dream

**Chapter 7: The Dream**

**(A/N) I only own my own OCs. Warning: Death in this chapter**

"Blood is life…" Cody had been thinking about what Matthew had said since their meeting by the lake. "What's that supposed to mean?" Cody said to himself. He found his skateboard lying in some bushes near the spot where he had first seen Matthew the night before. He picked it up and skated home.

Soon, Cody was back at the Tipton. He entered the elevator and pushed the 23 button. _I hope Zack isn't too mad at me._ He thought. He had cooled off and wanted to make amends with his brother. He walked out of the elevator and into his and Zack's suite.

Zack was sitting at the table eating a snack. When he heard Cody enter, he looked up. He mouth was covered in chocolate. His face made Cody a little queasy, but Cody hid his disgust. "Hey Zack."

"Hi." Zack answered shortly.

"Look about before, I'm sorry."

Zack smiled slightly and wiped his face with a napkin. "Don't worry about it." He said. "But if you yell at me like that again, you're going to wish you were a ghost."

Cody laughed. "Ok."

"So who's hungry?" A voice called from the door. Carry walked in the door holding a box of pizza. Zack and Cody helped her set the table then all three Martins sat down and ate dinner.

Zack had a date with a new virtual reality game in the hotel game room, so he ran out before Carry or Cody had even finished their first slice of pizza. When they finished, Carry turned on the news while Cody did the dishes. Carry knew her son enjoyed watching the news, so she turned up the volume so he could hear it over the running water.

"_New developments in the Matthew Pike case."_ The reporter said. "_According to forensic detectives, the boy had suffered numerous physical wounds before being fatally shot in the chest. Funeral services will be held tomorrow at St. Paul at 9am. As always, our prayers are with friends and family. Now for the weather."_

"That's so sad." Carry said.

"Hey mom," Cody said turning off the water and walking over. "You mind if I go? I told Crystal I would."

"Sure honey."

"I've had a long day, I'm going to bed. Goodnight mom." Cody called as he walked towards his room. Remembering the events of that morning, he moved cautiously, wondering if Matthew would be waiting for him in there.

"Everything ok Cody?" Carry said. _Man she doesn't miss anything!_ Cody thought when he heard her. "Yea, everything's fine. Good night." He said, closing the door behind him.

Cody walked over to his bed and laid down. He stared at the ceiling, continuing to think about what Matthew had said. _Blood is life…blood is life. _ In a matter of minutes, he was out like a light.

Suddenly Matthew appeared in the room, and stood next to Cody's bed. He reached out and touched two fingers to Cody's forehead. Cody began to shiver violently in his sleep.

-Cody's POV-

_A fist connected with my face, knocking me to the ground. Kicks and punches rained down on my arms and body. I flipped myself over and saw a man with a gun standing over me. He looked like he was in his mid forties. He had a balding head and a wiry frame. His eyes had a look of pure madness in them._

"_I'm glad she died!" I yelled up at him as he pointed the gun at my chest. Pure anger surged through my body. There was nothing he could do to me anymore that I wouldn't enjoy. _

"_You'll never hurt anyone else again you wretched boy!" He yelled at me. He was shaking badly._

"_DO IT CHICKEN SHIT!" I yelled. The man just stood there shaking. The madness in his eyes showed how badly he wanted to fire. It just seemed like his hands were ignoring the message._

"_What's wrong? You need a lesson? Fine I'll tell you how to kill! You point the barrel and pull the trigger!"_

_The man shook even worse now. "I hate you! I won't deal with you anymore! So just SHUT UP!" He finally pulled the trigger. I felt something small and hard rip through my chest, shattering a rib on each side of me. Blood began to pour out of my chest. I heard the gun go off a second time and felt something connect with my head before everything went dark._

_A couple of seconds later, I opened my eyes and realized I was floating. I looked down, shocked by what I saw. Lying where my body should have been was someone else, a boy my age with dark brown hair that was worn in a mushroom cut. It was Matthew's body! I watched as the blood flow slowed. The man continued to stand over the body. "Blood is life." He said coldly. "With the pain you caused you lost your blood. You lost your blood, now, you lost your life." _

_The man grabbed the body and dragged it into the shallow area of the nearby lake. I heard a soft rush of wind by my side and briefly glanced over. Matthew was floating next to me, staring at the man with a look of pure hatred. "Blood is life, soon I will have yours."_

-Zack's POV-

I put the key card in the door and opened the door. Mom was asleep on the couch, with the TV still on. I kissed her gently on the forehead. She open her eyes briefly and said "Good night sweetie."

"Good night mom." I said before continuing to our room. I opened the door. For a split second I thought I saw someone standing by my brother. A second look told me we were the only ones in the room. Cody snapped awake suddenly, breathing heavily. "Cody? Buddy, you ok?" I asked.

"It was a dream." He muttered.

"What?"

"Zack, I know how he died," Cody said talking very fast. "I don't know who did it, but I think I know what happened."

"Whoa, slow down buddy, how who died?"

"Matthew…Matthew Pike."

* * *

**(A/N) Please read and Review**


	8. Answer Discovered

**Chapter 8: Answers Discovered**

**(A/N) I only own my own OCs**

"Morning already?!" Cody said to himself as he shut off his alarm clock. After his dream the night before, Cody couldn't seem to fall back into a decent sleep. He felt completely drained and had a splitting headache.

After washing up, brushing his teeth and getting dressed, Cody finally felt somewhat awake. He put on a navy-blue button-down shirt, over which he wore a black blazer. He also had dark slacks on.

He took some asprin for his headache and made some toast for breakfast. He realized how tired he still was when he burned his hand twice on the toaster. "SHIT!" He muttered to himself in pain each time.

After breakfast, Cody left to meet up with Crystal. She had a black dress on. She looked as tired as he felt, and her eyes looked bloodshot from crying.

"You gonna be ok?" Cody asked putting his arm around her.

"Yeah."

"It's not your fault." He added. She nodded.

Outside it was cloudy and somewhat cold for a summer morning. _Please don't rain, please don't rain. _ Cody thought to himself.

Cody and Crystal took the bus to the church where the service was to be held. They were directed to the courtyard, and took each took a seat in the back row. In front of the rows of chairs were a podium and a casket. Cody shivered slightly when he saw the casket.

"I never even tried to help him." Crystal sobbed softly. Cody placed his arm on her again. She took his other hand and clasped it gently. "I just said I never wanted to speak to him again. Now, I never will."

"It's ok. Everything will be ok." Cody said reassuringly. _Note to self, tell him that next time he shows up. _He thought.

The seats started to fill up quickly with people that Cody assumed were Matthew's family. He could hear mutters of "he wasn't a bad kid, just misunderstood." And "It was just an accident, I know he didn't mean it. He would never do that."

_What are they talking about? He would never do something like that? What could have happened?_ Cody's thoughts were suddenly interrupted when an older man bumped into his chair. "Sorry kid." He said coldly.

The man looked to be in forties. He was somewhat tall and had a wiry build. His hair looked like it was balding, and his remaining hair was a mixture of brown and gray strands.

Cody continued to eye the man, but he didn't seem to notice. He walked to a seat in the front row and sat down. _That's him! The man from the dream! He must be the killer…then why is he here??_

Another man dressed in black walked up to the podium and began to speak. "Dear people, we have gathered here today to say good bye to a young man who didn't deserve any of this….Matthew."

-Cody's POV-

The man continued to lead the service, saying prayers between the people who came up to speak about Matthew. Then he said, "And now a few words from Matthew's father, Theodore Pike."

A taller man stood up from the front row and walked up to the podium. It was him! The man from the dream! _His father?? His own father killed him?_

The events from the dream began to swirl around my mind. It was all I could think about, almost as if I had been completely cut off from reality.

"_I'm glad she died!" I yelled up at him as he pointed the gun at my chest. Pure anger surged through my body. _

"_You'll never hurt anyone else again you wretched boy!" He yelled at me. He was shaking badly._

"_DO IT CHICKEN SHIT!" I yelled. He just stood there shaking. The madness in his eyes was overwhelming. I could tell how badly he wanted to fire. _

"_What's wrong? You need a lesson? Fine I'll tell you how to kill! You point the barrel and pull the trigger!"_

_He was trembling violently now. "I hate you! I won't deal with you anymore! So just SHUT UP!" He finally pulled the trigger. I felt something small and hard rip through my chest, shattering a rib on each side of me. Blood flowed freely out of my chest. I heard the gun go off a second time and felt another bullet connect with my head. Then everything went dark_

Next I remembered what Matthew had said after his father had dragged the body away.

"_Blood is life…soon I will have yours."_

-Normal POV-

Cody couldn't pay attention to the rest of the service. Crystal had to nudge him when it was time to stand when the pallbearers took the casket away. Even though he was back in reality, thoughts of the dream and Theodore killing his own flesh and blood continued to sink deeper and deeper into Cody's mind. _How could he? I have to know what happened!_

Cody soon lost his view of reality again. His fatigue was also getting to him. Suddenly a powerful wave of dizziness hit him full force. Thoughts from the dream, his vision, sounds around him, everything was blurred together. The world was spinning. The next thing Cody saw was the ground coming towards him, faster and faster.

"Cody…."

_"Blood…"_

"Say something"

_"Soon I will have yours."_

"CODY? CODY!"

_"I won't deal with you anymore."_

"PLEASE ANSWER ME!!"

_"You won't hurt anyone again!"_

"Cody…someone help."

_"Blood is life. You have lost your blood, now you have lost your life."_

Darkness filled his vision, then there was silence.

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**(A/N) Please read and review. Again Crystal belongs to CrystalizedChaos**. 


	9. The Picture

**Chapter 9: The Picture**

**(A/N) I only own my own OCs, Sorry about the delay in the getting this chapter up.  
**

**Disclaimer: See end of chapter**

"Cody?" A familiar voice said.

"I think he's waking up, easy son." Another voice said. Unfamiliar, but he knew he had heard it somewhere.

Cody could hear other voices all around him as his feeling returned to him. He determined he was laying on something soft, which turned out to be a couch. A soft blanket was wrapped around him.

He slowly opened his eyes. Everything was blurred. Cody blinked twice, clearing his vision. He was surrounded by strangers he assumed to be people from the service. He looked to his right and over the couch back, saw a familiar face. "Hi Crystal." He said weakly, his voice just above a whisper. "W-what happened?"

"You fainted." She said, "When they brought the coffin by us. Mr. Pike was nice enough to bring us back here."

Cody turned his head, so he was looking down at the cream colored carpet, trying to remember what happened. He remembered seeing Theodore, Matthew's father…and murderer, walking up to the podium. He strained his memory a little harder. The last thing he was able to remember were the pallbearers walking Matthew's coffin to the back of the courtyard.

Cody tried to sit himself up using his elbows for support. He felt Crystal grab his right arm to help him up. "Easy there." A second voice said from his left as another set of hands grabbed his left arm. Cody looked over to see Theodore holding his left arm. Cody tried to wiggle his left arm free. _Get off me._ He thought, but he was too weak to free himself. "Easy there." Theodore said again. "We're just trying to help you."

With Crystal and Theodore's support, Cody was able to get to his feet. He shook slightly for a few seconds, but then was able to stand on his own. "T-thanks, I'm fine now." He said as they let go.

Theodore smiled, but something about it didn't look right. It was as if someone had taped his lips back in a smile position. "Your friend was really worried about you. She refused to leave your side."

"Thanks." Cody said as Theodore walked away to join the other people in the next room. Cody was then able to take his first real look at his surroundings. The wallpaper had a dark green pattern on it, then halfway up the wall, was a wooden siding. Above that, the wall was cream colored.. In the corner was a fireplace, cluttered with pictures.

Cody walked over to the fireplace, followed closely by Crystal. The pictures on the left throughout the center mostly featured a young boy. In some he was playing sports, in others he was smiling at the camera as if life couldn't get any better. _That must be Matthew!_ Cody thought to himself. All the way on the right was another picture of Matthew. He looked slightly younger than the picture Cody had seen on the news. His hair was a little longer, but still worn in a mushroom cut.

Matthew's father was on his left and there was a woman on his right. She had long dark hair and pretty green eyes. Cody then returned his gaze back to Matthew and noticed something different. Unlike all the other pictures, this time he wasn't smiling. His lips were tightly pressed together and his eyes had a look of pure anger in them. "Hey Cody, look at this." Crystal said.

"Yeah?" He said looking over.

"Check out this cracked one in the back." Crystal said, picking up a small picture in a dull gold frame. The glass over the picture had a large crack down the middle of it with several smaller cracks in the bottom left corner. The picture was wrinkled and had several crease lines in it. It showed Matthew's father and a different woman holding a small baby with brown hair, dressed in a blue outfit. All three of them were smiling as if it was the happiest moment of their lives.

Cody noticed a small edge of yellow paper sticking out from behind the picture. Carefully he opened frame and pulled out an old newspaper clipping. It read:

**Woman, 43, Dies of Heart Attack**

(Boston) At 4:32am this morning, Kristen Pike, 43, died of

complete heart failure. Doctors believe she suffered a massive

heart attack and died instantly in her sleep. Genetic heart disease

was believed to be the main factor. The fact that she was also

a heavy smoker was a contributing factor. Kristen had

separated from her husband over a year ago. She leaves him and

one son (13). Though unconfirmed, it was believed they were in

the process of planning their second wedding. Services to be held

on Sunday.

"So, this must have been Matthew's birth mom," Cody muttered.

"And that must have been his step mother." Crystal finished, nodding over to the other picture. Tears formed in her eyes. _Why didn't he tell me? Why did he just push me away? I could have helped him!_

Crystal stammered back over to the couch, her hands over her eyes. Tears flowed freely now. Cody hugged her close to him. "I'm so sorry." He said softly, almost crying himself.

"Why? Why? WHY?" She said. The third "why" drew some looks from the other guests, but they quickly went back to their own business with a small wave of Cody's hand. Cody then brought his arm over her and held her tighter. "I could have helped! All I said was 'I never want to speak to you again.' That's why he changed. His mom died just before she got back together with his dad. Why didn't I try harder? I should have known it was something big."

"It's not your fault." Cody said soothingly. He looked up for a second and saw Matthew standing by the fireplace. Unlike before, this time his eyes seemed to have a hint of sadness in them. A split second later he disappeared. Cody turned his attention back to Crystal. "It's not your fault." He was crying softly now.

"I don't know. I…just don't…know"

Cody, looked directly into her eyes, and gently put is hand on her chin. "No it's not." Crystal just buried her face into his chest. sobbing softly.

The second time he looked up, Cody saw Theodore walking towards him and Crystal holding the picture and clipping. "Oh I'm sorry Mr. Pike." He said. "I'll put it back."

He sat down next to them. "She died two weeks before we were due to be wed again. Matthew was devastated. He was never the same after that. Even after I married his step mother, Marsha," he nodded to the other picture. "He became…angrier…full of hate. Marsha…died about three weeks ago. Well that's…done now."

"I'm sorry. I-I think we're gonna g-get going." Cody said, stuttering slightly. 'T-thanks for taking care of me."

"You take care now."

The tone in Theodore's voice confirmed Cody's thoughts. He _was _the killer. For what reason however, Cody hoped he wouldn't find out.

* * *

**(A/N) I just chose smoking as a cause because it was the first thing that popped into my mind. Any opinions I have on his matter are completely independent of the story. Please Read and review.**


	10. A Warning, First Encounter

**Chapter 10: A Warning, First Encounter**

**(A/N) I only own my own OCs.**

Cody and Crystal took a bus back to the Tipton. For the entire ride, neither spoke. Cody continued to silently comfort Crystal the whole way back by resting his arm around her. As they got off the bus and walked towards the hotel, Crystal smiled slightly and gently squeezed Cody's hand. "Thanks Cody." She said softly, drying her eyes. "Don't ever change."

"Everything will work out." He said with a nod.

"Well, good bye and thanks again."

"Good bye." He nodded again and turned towards the hotel.

Cody walked back into the hotel. He then walked into the elevator and hit the "23" button. _Man she's taking this hard. _ He thought. _She'll be ok though…I hope._

When he reached the 23rd floor, Cody exited the elevator and walked back to his suite. His thoughts now turned to Matthew and his father. _Mr. Pike seemed nice enough, I don't get it though, how could he kill his own son? Something really bad must have happened. I think it might have had something to do with his mom dying or his step mom…I don't know, but I'm gonna find out!_

After reaching his suite, Cody went to put his blazer back in the coat closet, when he noticed a note on the table. It said:

_Boys, _

_I'll be working late tonight. Cody, make dinner, Zack, TAKE THE TRASH OUT. I'll see you guys in the morning._

_Love you,_

_Mom_

_Great, I'll probably end up doing that too._ Cody thought to himself as he laid down on the couch, grabbed his lab top, and flipped open his lab top. After a couple of games of solitaire, he felt relaxed for the first time in the last two days. Cody breathed a deep sigh of relief as he began a third round.

Suddenly, Cody heard a soft tapping sound on the window and looked up. It had started to rain. He then turned his attention back to his game.

_Drip, tap, drip tap._ The soft pattern of the rain continued to lull Cody further into relaxation, until he began to doze off…

**- Cody's POV -**

_I opened my eyes and noticed my body felt light as a feather. I looked down and realized I was floating over my body. "Hi Cody," a voice said as I looked back up. _

_Across from me, was a woman in a white dress. She had dark blond hair and pretty blue eyes. "Are you Matthew's mother? His real mother?" I asked._

_She smiled and nodded. "Yes, and I've come to warn you. You are in grave danger."_

_I looked at her in disbelief. "Danger? From who? Does Theodore know I know what he did?"_

_Her expression clouded slightly. "Not from Theodore, from my son."_

"_What do you mean? How?"_

_Her expression remained clouded. "After my death, Matthew developed an intense hate for life itself. His hate intensified when Theodore remarried. Now that he is dead also, his hatred holds his spirit on earth. He has one last matter to attend to, and wishes to use you, to eliminate it. That is why I have come. Exercise extreme caution when you believe my son is around. Now, I have some things to show you." _

_With that, a bright light suddenly engulfed us. I instinctively covered my eyes to shield them. A second later I opened them back up and realized we weren't in my suite anymore. Instead we were now in the Pike's living room. Matthew was sitting on the couch watching TV, when his father came in. He had a sad look on his face. "Matthew, I have to tell you something." He said hollowly._

"_Hey dad, what's up?" Matthew said. "I heard we got the reservations at The Golden Gardens. That's the nicest place in Boston. It'll be perfect for the reception. I…"_

"_Matthew, your mom's dead." Matthew looked up in disbelief. _

"_What?"_

"_She died this morning. She had a heart attack."_

"_No." Matthew said, his eyes filling with tears. "No, that can't be."_

"_I'm sorry son." Theodore said grimly. He walked back into the kitchen._

"_He was devastated." Matthew's mother said. I looked back up at her, tears forming in my eyes. "At that moment, his whole life changed for the worst. He used to be just like you, just as kind and caring. After that, he became the worst bully his school ever knew, and he lost all his friends. Some thought he had become the Devil's incarnate. It was heartbreaking to watch. Anyway its time to fast forward ten months." _

_Another flash enclosed us as I covered my eyes again._

"_NO! NO! SHE'S NOT MY MOTHER!" I opened my eyes and saw Matthew yelling at his father and a dark haired woman. I looked over at Matthew's birth mother._

"_Is that Marsha, his step mom?" She nodded and I turned my attention back down to the scene. After a few more exchanges, Matthew's father and step mother walked out, leaving the boy alone. Matthew turned around and I could see his face. It lost its angry expression. Now it possessed one of pure evil. "What am I worried about, she won't be in my life much longer. I'll be sure to see to that."_

_The scene in front of me started fading away so I was surrounded by darkness. I heard Matthew's mother's voice growing fainter and fainter. "That's all the time, I have, good luck Cody."_

**- Normal POV -**

Cody woke up drenched in sweat. The room was dark all around him with the exception of his computer screen. It was also dead silent. The rain had long since stopped and thin beads of water on the window were all that remained. The clock on the computer read 11:26pm. Where his game had been was an internet window with a news article that read:

**Husband Finds Dead Wife in Sea of Knives**

June 1, Boston- Theodore Pike, 47, found his recently married wife stabbed to death on the kitchen floor. She still had one knife in her chest and several others were scattered around her along with a old knife block. A cabinet above her was also found to be wide open. Police concluded the block had fallen from a higher shelf in the cabinet, showering Marsha Pike (48) with a deadly rain of various kitchen knives. It was apparent she had been dead for several hours before she was found by Theodore Pike. He and his son Matthew (14) are no strangers to death, and are taking the incident well. Funeral services are still to be determined.

Cody closed the lab top and sat up. He saw Zack's sneakers sitting by the door. _Zack must have gone to bed._ Cody thought. Cody got up and then saw Matthew standing in the kitchen. Moonlight shone in through the window, causing his white skin and eyes to glow frighteningly. His face was expressionless and his eyes made direct contact with Cody's.

"_Be careful of my son"_

"_You have lost your blood, now you have lost your life"_

"_I'll be sure to see to that myself."_

"_Use you to eliminate it…"_

The phrases kept spinning around in Cody's mind.

Suddenly Cody was able to piece the puzzle together. "YOU! You killed your step mother!" Matthew remained silent and motionless, then Cody thought he saw Matthew's head give a slight nod. So slight, it was almost unnoticeable. "That's why your father killed you! So what's left huh? You want me to kill him? Well too bad! I WON"T DO IT!"

Cody breathed heavily. He was so shocked at what he had learned, his fear of Matthew had become almost non-existant. Matthew's face remained expressionless. "Brave boy." He said. His eyes didn't leave Cody's as he began gliding forward towards Cody. He raised his hand to head level.

Cody's fear returned and began to grow. "What are you doing? GET AWAY FROM ME!"

Fear became Cody's predominant emotion, he slowly backed up as Matthew closed the gap between them. Cody continued to back up until he was against the wall. "Blood is life." He muttered. "YOU NEED MY BLOOD SO YOU CAN LIVE!"

Matthew's hand made contact with Cody's forehead and he continued to push through until his hand was about brain deep in Cody's head. Like last time, Cody's heat was drained instantaneously. Matthew left his hand there, draining all of it. It felt like Cody's brain was frozen. He couldn't think, he couldn't scream, he couldn't feel. Everything was so cold. Soon he lost consciousness and slumped against the wall.

**- Zack's POV -**

I could hear Cody yelling at someone from our bedroom, waking me up. _That's it!_ I thought. _It's after 11, time for him to shut up and let me sleep!_

Still kind of groggy, I got up and put on my robe and some slippers. I walked over to the door and flung it open. My eyes widened with what I saw next.

Cody was slumped against the wall, unconscious. Standing over my brother was the kid from the news only he looked different. His skin was all white and glowed…his outline was fuzzy…he was covered in something…BLOOD! Then he looked over at me. His eyes were the scariest I have ever seen. Wait, what did Cody say yesterday "You're wrong Zack, I saw a ghost." There was a ghost right next to Cody! Stunned, I took a step back, trying to bring myself back to reality.

The ghost-boy took one last look at me and turned back to Cody. "LEAVE HIM ALONE!" I wanted to say, but my lips were frozen in place with fear. Then he made a downward sweeping motion over Cody and disappeared at the same time.

I stood motionless for a few seconds before walking over to Cody. "Cody? Buddy?" His eyes suddenly snapped open. These eyes couldn't have belonged to my brother. They were cold black holes filled with a look of pure evil.

"Well, you must be Zack." He said. His voice almost seemed to sting my ears.

"WHAT DID YOU DO WITH CODY?" I retorted.

"He's gone, now all you got is me." He then smiled evilly. "But don't worry I'll tell you how to save him. It won't matter though because you'll never do it."

I was filled with so much anger I was about to explode. "Oh yea?" I said. "And what's that?"

He smiled and turned. As he walked into my and _Cody's_ room, he calmly said "kill him."

* * *

**(A/N) If this chapter was confusing go back and read Chapter 7 (The Dream) again. I also left some other clues throughout the story of Matthew's intentions and personality. See how many you can find. Please read and review.**


	11. The Sign

**Chapter 11: The Sign**

**(A/N) For parts with Cody/Matthew, I'm going to just use Matthew's name in the story, even though the other characters see Cody's body. Also as always, I only own my own OCs**

Zack stood frozen in place, stunned. _Kill Cody?_ He thought to himself. _No there must be another way. Wait! I know, this is all a dream. Any moment now I'm going to wake up and everything will be back to normal. I just have to wake up!_

Zack ran over to the freezer and flung the door open. "Come on, wake up!" He said out loud to himself. He continued to wave the cold air into his face. "Come on! Come on! WAKE UP!"

Zack opened is eyes and realized he was still standing in the kitchen by the freezer. Next he bolted over to the sink and splashed cold water into his face. "WAKE UP!" He yelled desperately as his pounded his fists on the counter. "Please…WAKE UP."

"It won't work. You're already awake." An evil voice said calmly from Zack's room. Zack looked over and saw Matthew leaning against the door frame. "Let me spell it out for you. Your…brother…is…gone. Now shut your oversized pie hole so I can sleep. Apparently your brother's weak body gets tired easily."

"SHUT UP!" Zack yelled. His eyes were filled with anger. Matthew just smiled and snickered to himself.

"Look Zacky boy, I did you a favor." Matthew said, his voice was growing darker by the second, however his tone stayed as calm as ever. "I told you how to save him. Now I expect the same courtesy. One favor is owed another"

"After what you did to Cody, I owe you nothing!"

"I guess you need some incentive. How's about a little bedtime story? Let's see." Matthew said looking up and rubbing his chin. "Oh I know! Perfect! How about the story of how my step mother died?"

"I don't care about anything to do with you." Zack said.

"Aw, I think you'll find it very intriguing." Matthew continued. "Mostly, because it will give you an idea of what I am capable of."

Zack glared silently at Matthew.

"Almost a year after my mother died, my father remarried." Matthew said. "He married this ditz of a woman named Marsha. She wasn't my mom, and I didn't need or want her in my life. So I rigged the kitchen knife set up in one of the cupboards. She opened the door, and put a painless end to my little problem."

Zack stood motionless, stunned. His lip hung open slightly.

Almost laughing now, Matthew continued. "I love a speechless audience. Yes, that's right, I killed her."

With that, Zack finally found his voice. "Your plan couldn't have worked out too well since you're dead now." Zack retorted. The smile left Matthew's face, but a second later it was back.

"Now, now, don't interrupt Zacky boy." Matthew said, as the smile returned to his face. "But apparently you're as bored as I am with this story so let's skip to the very end. Moral of the story; don't think for a second that I won't hesitate to end _this_ little problem if you don't shut that hole in your face."

A stunned look returned to Zack's face. Matthew looked down at the watch on his wrist. "12:30, where does the time go? So with that, good night 'brother.' Ha, that's odd to say after being an only child."

Matthew chuckled turned around as if to walk back into the bedroom. After one step he turned around again. "Oh, one very last thing," He said. "It was the first thing I told your brother, and the last thing he'll ever say. I encourage you to think about it. Maybe if your so called smart brother had, he would still be talking to you now. So here it is: blood is life."

With that, Matthew turned around again and disappeared into the bedroom, leaving Zack alone in the kitchen. Not knowing what to do, Zack sat down at the table. He didn't even bother to turn the light on or close the freezer door. He just sat there and allowed everything that had happened to sink into him. _Everything will work out. _He said to himself, but he couldn't help but wonder, would he ever have his brother back? Suddenly a new thought popped into his head. _Mom! If he killed his own step mom, he won't hesitate to kill my mom! _

Thinking quickly, Zack grabbed a notepad and a pen. Moonlight continued to shine in through the window so he decided to use that for light. He didn't want to attract Matthew's attention by turning on the kitchen light. When he finished his note read:

Mom,

Cody and me are staying at Crystal's. I found a few rats in the suite earlier, so we called the exterminator. The whole thing's filled with poison gas to get rid of them, so don't go in there. They're gonna call us when it's safe again.

Love you,

Zack

Zack grabbed a roll of duct tape out of the drawer and quietly walked out of the suite. He used a small piece to stick the note to the door and outlined the entire door with the rest. _That should keep her away._ He thought. As he walked to Crystal's, his thoughts turned to the last thing Matthew said to him, _blood is life?_ He thought to himself. _I gotta find out what that means before it's too late!_

When Zack got to Crystal's, he pounded on the door until Crystal answered it. He didn't see her initially and almost punched her accidentally. "Whoa Zack," she said. "Where's the fire?"

"Oops." He said sheepishly. "Crystal I gotta talk to you. NOW! It's an emergency!"

"What's wrong? You ok?"

"I am." Zack answered. "But Cody's not. He's in trouble and I dunno if we can help him."

Crystal had a worried look on her face now, "Zack what happened? Is he hurt?"

"Kind of…remember he said he saw a ghost?"

"Zack! This is no time for games! Where is he?"

"That's what I'm trying to tell you! That ghost he said he saw, it's real! I saw it too! It took over him!" His eyes were slightly teary and her looked directly into hers. Although she wasn't sure if or not to believe him, a part of her told her Zack wasn't lying.

"So what are you going to do?" Crystal asked, still somewhat suspicious.

"I don't know, that's why I'm here. Crystal look, you gotta believe me! You just gotta! Please, for Cody's sake! Please believe me!"

"I believe you, what exactly did he say?" Crystal said as she continued to eye Zack. She knew he wasn't lying, she couldn't explain it, but she just knew.

"He said the only way I could save Cody was to…was to…"

"Was to what?"

"K-k-kill him." Zack said falling to his knees sobbing slightly. Normally he hated when anyone saw him cry, but at the moment, he didn't care if the whole world saw him sobbing.

"WHAT?" She said shocked.

"Yea, and he said he would kill me if I got in his way." Zack said. He continued to tell her everything Matthew had said. "The worst part is I can't even fight him, I'd only be hurting Cody."

"Matthew killed his step mom…" She muttered quietly, mostly to herself. "Now he's running around as Cody." She looked back at Zack. "Killing him can't be the only option. Come in Zack, we'll figure something out."

Zack walked over to the couch and sat down. Crystal made him a cup of hot chocolate with extra marshmallows, Zack's favorite. Zack looked down at the liquid and for a split second, thought he saw Cody's face. A second look just showed a series of ripples splashing softly against the side of the cup. _Maybe this is a sign!_ He thought hopefully to himself. _But is it a good sign or bad? I don't know…I just don't know.  
_

* * *

**(A/N) If let no choice, could Zack really kill his own brother? Please read and review – Thank you to all that have.**


	12. Inner Torment

**Chapter 12: Inner Torment**

**(A/N) I only own my own OCs, Matthew's name is used for parts with Cody/Matthew, in characters POV's Cody is Cody.**

Zack slowly sipped at his hot chocolate as fatigue crept up on him. Crystal was furiously scanning the internet on her lab top trying to find a way to help Cody. Every once in a while she'd say "That would never work." Or "What a stupid idea."

Zack could feel himself sinking deeper into the soft cushions. His eyes slowly got heavier and heavier.

"Zack?"

Hearing, his name, Zack snapped back to reality. "Oh, sorry Crystal. Guess I'm a little more tired than I thought."

"You've been through quite a bit tonight, how bout you take a quick nap. I'll let you know when I find something promising."

"Crystal? What if…"

"Don't talk like that!" She snapped. "We'll find a way. Soon he'll be back to normal." Although she didn't show it, she was wondering the same thing. "Don't worry, besides you never would do that. You're not Matthew, you're not a _murderer_."

"I know…" Zack said as sleep overwhelmed him. He leaned back and fell into a deep sleep.

**- Zack's POV-**

_I opened my eyes and saw I was back in my room. The whole room was dark except for the moonlight that was shining in through the window. How'd I get here? I thought. I looked over at Cody's bed and saw Cody sleeping peacefully. He stirred softly under his blankets. "Cody?"_

_At the sound of my voice, Cody sat up wide awake. "Zack?"_

"_Cody! Thank God you're ok!"_

"_Zack, be careful. Don't let him kill you."_

"_Cody, he said 'blood is life,' what does that mean? Please I have to know!"_

_At that, his blankets seemed to come alive. They wrapped around Cody's arms, legs, and neck. Cody's face twisted in agony as the blankets continued to tighten around him. "Save me Zack, please help me."_

"_Cody!" I tried to run forward, but my feet were frozen in place._

"_End it Zack, please end it!"_

"_I won't hurt you!"_

"_ZACK PLEASE! IT HURTS! PLEASE! END THIS PAIN!"_

"_NO!" I yelled. In the background I heard laughter. "CODY!"_

_Cody faded away and the blanket fluttered lifelessly back down to the bed and lay motionless. I was alone. Alone, surrounded by my dark empty room._

"_You know what you have to do" A voice said softly._

"_No! I won't." I yelled._

"_You know…you know…you know" It said again._

"_I WON"T KILL MY OWN BROTHER."_

"_Your brother is gone."_

"_NO! I CAN SAVE HIM!" I yelled as my legs became free again. I fell on my hands and knees. I pounded the floor with my fist._

"_There is no other way. You want your mom to die? Do you want to die? Do you want to lose everything you ever held dear? There is only one way."_

"_No…" I said softly. I could feel tears running down my face. They dripped down and formed a small puddle under my face. "I will save him…"_

"_It's too late…"_

"_NOOOO!"_

**- Normal POV-**

"Zack!"

"NOOOO!"

"Zack wake up!" He felt cold water splash all over his face. Zack opened his eyes and saw Crystal pointing an empty cup towards him. Cold water dripped off his hair. "It was all a dream."

Zack looked over at her a let out a sigh of relief. "Talk about nightmares. I just want this all to end. I want Cody back!"

"You'll have him back. You two will be back to pranking before you know it." She said, trying to sound as assuring as possible.

Zack felt torn inside. He wanted to stay hopeful, but a part of him felt like there was no other way. The conflict continued to rip through him. As it did though, new emotions filled the gaps. He wasn't sad or afraid anymore. Now he was angry. Angrier than he ever had been in his life.

Suddenly, Zack stood up and slammed his hand on the coffee table. His palm stung but he didn't care. "THIS SUCKS!!"

"Zack, how do you know he wasn't lying to you?"

"He knows I could never kill Cody!" Zack said sarcastically. "So, um…I don't know, maybe 'cause he wouldn't wanna die twice?"

"That would be rather unpleasant." A voice said from the door. Zack jumped, knocking over his hot chocolate. It spilled on Crystal and the carpet, leaving a large brown stain. "Oww!" She said splashing the excess droplets off of her.

"However I have no intention of dying again anytime soon." The voice said again. Zack and Crystal looked over to see Matthew standing in the doorway.

"What are you doing here?" Zack said through clenched teeth. His clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms.

"Come now Zacky boy," Matthew said smiling, "Is that any way to greet your new brother?"

"YOU"RE NOT MY BROTHER!" Zack roared. "I DON"T EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU ARE!"

"Cody never did anything to you!" Crystal interjected. "Let him go!"

"Ah Crystal, long time no speak." Matthew sneered. "I see you already know you're not talking to Cody right now. Smart girl, Zack must have been quite informative of the situation. But sorry, no can do. Cody no longer exists. His soul is trapped in mine."

Zack froze up, stunned. _His soul? So there is no other way. No! Stop thinking that!_

"But back to Zacky boy's first question," Matthew said.. "I had to run a little errand, and being the thoughtful 'brother' I am, I thought I'd see how my 'twin' was doing."

"You love to hear yourself talk don't you?" Zack said, his anger rising again. "Who'd you kill this time?"

"Harsh words Zacky boy." Matthew said. "I prefer to call it 'eliminating possible problems." His smile was beaming. "And now, my father can be checked off my list of inconveniences."

"YOU KILLED YOUR FATHER?" Crystal yelled, shocked.

"The idiot should learn to lock the back door." Matthew snickered. "However, looks like he lost his chance. Now, judging by your looks, you want to know how I found you."

Matthew put his hand in his pocket and took out a note with a piece of duct tape on it. Zack's eyes widened when he saw the note. _NO!_ He thought.

"Smart Zacky boy, Cody would be proud, unfortunately, not quite quiet enough." Matthew smiled as he tore the note into several pieces.

* * *

**(A/N) Please Read and Review**


	13. The Explanation

**Chapter 13: The Explanation**

**(A/N) I only own my own OCs, again Crystal belongs to CrystalizedChaos**

Zack stood in horror as he watched the pieces of his note flutter softly to the floor. It was as if time itself had slowed to a crawl. Finally, one by one, the pieces landed by Matthew's feet.

Zack's face now took on a new expression, one of pure anger. "You," he glared. "What did you do to my mom?" Crystal stared at the scene with a horrified look on her face. She had never seen Zack this angry. His body seemed to radiate pure hatred. "I swear to God," Zack continued. "If you …"

Matthew stayed as calm as a pond on windless day. "Don't worry Zacky boy, she's safe…for the moment. However I don't know how much longer I can say the same for you."

Zack shook with anger, but a smirk crossed his face. "Ha shows how much you know. I've always been stronger than Cody. He never stood a chance against me, and now you think you do?"

"Oh I think so." Matthew said, still smiling. "But let's leave the hostilities for later events. I also take it you haven't thought about what I told you. Pity."

"Yeah, yeah." Zack said. "Blood is life. What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, it's really rather simple." Matthew sneered. "Not all blood is liquid. Let's say your empty head actually took in what I said earlier. Yes you can save your brother, but in doing so you will kill yourself."

"And how's that?" Crystal said. She was becoming angrier by the second.

"That is exceedingly simple as well." Matthew explained. "While Zacky boy will be alive and well, emotionally…spiritually, he would be dead, just like Cody would be physically. Having Cody is your spiritual blood, your life force. By losing him, you lose your blood, and therefore, you lose your life. So I'll say it one last time, blood is life."

At that second, Zack saw something fly by him. It was his hot chocolate cup. Matthew calmly turned sideways and leaned back slightly. The cup missed its target and shattered harmlessly on the wall. Zack looked to his side and saw Crystal with her arm outstretched.

"Crystal, Crystal, Crystal," Matthew said in a mocking voice, shaking his head. "Always so weak, physically…and emotionally. It's fitting you should care about someone as pathetic as you "

Unable to control himself anymore, Zack ran at Matthew. _This is not my brother! _He thought as he closed in. _It's time for him to pay for everything he's caused!_

As calm as before, Matthew stood and waited for Zack to get close. He then made a hard swinging kick. His sneaker connected with Zack's knee, causing a sickening cracking sound. Zack screamed and collapsed on the spot. He curled over, holding his knee, groaning.

"Stronger maybe, smarter? No." Matthew looked down him. He kicked Zack in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He smiled as Zack gasped for breath. "Let's set your hopeless mind straight, huh Zacky boy? Neither you, nor your pathetic brother ever stood a chance against me." Matthew put his hand in his back pocket and pulled out a knife out his back pocket.

Crystal was about to try to rush forward, but then she saw the knife in Matthew's hand. She froze. He could easily stab and kill Zack in the time it would take her to get to him.

"Before you die however I'll do you one last favor." Matthew said. "I'll answer the one question that I know is burning within you. Why Cody? I first met him in the park two nights ago. I'm surprised he didn't have a heart attack right then. He was petrified, however he actually tried to fight me, by weakly kicking his skateboard at me. Of course it had no effect. But I was amused. The next events of the next day peaked my interests further. In both cases, despite his fear he challenged me. I thought maybe he could finish some unresolved matters for me.

"Soon however it became apparent I would have to finish my affairs on my own, so I appeared to him one last time. It was kind of funny seeing him trying to be brave. A mortal standing up to a ghost, who would have thought? But as you can see, he failed miserably, and now is gone. You should be honored though Zacky boy, your end comes with the same instrument I used to eliminate my father, the one who killed me." Matthew raised the knife and brought it down towards Zack.

_I'm sorry Cody. I'm sorry I didn't believe you. I'm sorry mom. I couldn't protect him. Now I can't even protect you. _Zack thought helplessly.

Time seemed to slow down. Out of the corner of his eye, Zack saw a blur running towards him. Above him, he saw a shiny silver blade draw closer and closer to him. Instinctively, Zack put his hands up. The blade missed them as they latched onto the hand holding the deadly weapon. The weapon continued to try to force itself down. Zack felt his arms caving.

As Zack resisted the downward force, he saw a body falling towards him. Finally, he managed to divert the blade's deadly point away from him. The next thing Zack saw was a pair of eyes inches from his face.

These eyes weren't the cold evil eyes he had seen on this face all night. No. They were soft, caring eyes. They were Cody's eyes. "I love you." Zack heard Cody, not Matthew, Cody say softy as Zack slipped into darkness.

* * *

-Cody's POV- 

_It's been several weeks since our encounter with Matthew. High school starts in the next few days. Zack doesn't talk to me much anymore, or anyone for that matter. But I understand why, and am perfectly all right with it. After what happened he can't talk to me, at least until he is ready. He tries though, especially when he is upset. In each case though, I am glad to listen to my brother, my twin, and I can't wait till we can talk to each other like we used to._

_Not long after her encounter with Matthew, Crystal moved away. It upset me a lot, but I still get to see her every once in a while._

_Matthew doesn't bother us anymore, I have made sure to see to that. As evil as he was though, I actually felt sorry for him. He showed me how a person can lose themselves and everything they stood for. Matthew was destroyed by grief, and eventually consumed by the ensuing hatred. It's a lesson everyone should take to heart._

_He also made a good point when he said "Blood is life." A person's blood is more than just a red liquid that flows through their veins. He's right, their spiritual blood is their life force. If a person loses either they lose their life. Sometimes the life that is lost is not always a physical life, but a spiritual one, as was the case with Matthew. Again, due to my incredibly sensitive nature, despite everything he did, I still felt bad for him._

_As for me, I believe I am the exception to that rule. Zack is my blood. My brother's presence is my life force. Although I lost my physical life, my spiritual blood still flows as strongly as ever. It forms a bond between Zack, my twin and myself, stronger than death. It is a bond between us that can never or will ever be broken._

* * *

**THE END**

* * *

**(A/N) Yes he does die. I hope everyone enjoyed reading my first fic. Please review and send me feed back. For those who may be a little disappointed, don't worry. I did have an alternate ending in mind, if I get enough requests, I will post that as well. For anyone who would like a visual to go along with Matthew's character (ghost), his appearance was inspired by Santi from the movie The Devil's Backbone. However you will have to imagine the two bullet holes yourself because in the movie, Santi died from drowning. He is also a few years younger than Matthew. As always, please continue to read and review….and a final THANK YOU to all that have.**


	14. ALTERNATE ENDING

**Chapter 14: Alternate Ending**

**(A/N) Everything pretty much stays the same except for the very end, for ending notes, see end of Chapter 13**

Zack stood in horror as he watched the pieces of his note flutter softly to the floor. It was as if time itself had slowed to a crawl. Finally, one by one, the pieces landed by Matthew's feet.

Zack's face now took on a new expression, one of pure anger. "You," he glared. "What did you do to my mom?" Crystal stared at the scene with a horrified look on her face. She had never seen Zack this angry. His body seemed to radiate pure hatred. "I swear to God," Zack continued. "If you …"

Matthew stayed as calm as a pond on windless day. "Don't worry Zacky boy, she's safe…for the moment. However I don't know how much longer I can say the same for you."

Zack shook with anger, but a smirk crossed his face. "Ha shows how much you know. I've always been stronger than Cody. He never stood a chance against me, and now you think you do?"

"Oh I think so." Matthew said, still smiling. "But let's leave the hostilities for later events. I also take it you haven't thought about what I told you. Pity."

"Yeah, yeah." Zack said. "Blood is life. What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, it's really rather simple." Matthew sneered. "Not all blood is liquid. Let's say your empty head actually took in what I said earlier. Yes you can save your brother, but in doing so you will kill yourself."

"And how's that?" Crystal said. She was becoming angrier by the second.

"That is exceedingly simple as well." Matthew explained. "While Zacky boy will be alive and well, emotionally…spiritually, he would be dead, just like Cody would be physically. Having Cody is your spiritual blood, your life force. By losing him, you lose your blood, and therefore, you lose your life. So I'll say it one last time, blood is life."

At that second, Zack saw something fly by him. It was his hot chocolate cup. Matthew calmly turned sideways and leaned back slightly. The cup missed its target and shattered harmlessly on the wall. Zack looked to his side and saw Crystal with her arm outstretched.

"Crystal, Crystal, Crystal," Matthew said in a mocking voice, shaking his head. "Always so weak, physically…and emotionally. It's fitting you should care about someone as pathetic as you "

Unable to control himself anymore, Zack ran at Matthew. _This is not my brother! _He thought as he closed in. _It's time for him to pay for everything he's caused!_

As calm as before, Matthew stood and waited for Zack to get close. He then made a hard swinging kick. His sneaker connected with Zack's knee, causing a sickening cracking sound. Zack screamed and collapsed on the spot. He curled over, holding his knee, groaning.

"Stronger maybe, smarter? No." Matthew looked down him. He kicked Zack in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He smiled as Zack gasped for breath. "Let's set your hopeless mind straight, huh Zacky boy? Neither you, nor your pathetic brother ever stood a chance against me." Matthew put his hand in his back pocket and pulled out a knife out his back pocket.

Crystal was about to try to rush forward, but then she saw the knife in Matthew's hand. She froze. He could easily stab and kill Zack in the time it would take her to get to him.

"Before you die however I'll do you one last favor." Matthew said. "I'll answer the one question that I know is burning within you. Why Cody? I first met him in the park two nights ago. I'm surprised he didn't have a heart attack right then. He was petrified, however he actually tried to fight me, by weakly kicking his skateboard at me. Of course it had no effect. But I was amused. The next events of the next day peaked my interests further. In both cases, despite his fear he challenged me. I thought maybe he could finish some unresolved matters for me.

"Soon however it became apparent I would have to finish my affairs on my own, so I appeared to him one last time. It was kind of funny seeing him trying to be brave. A mortal standing up to a ghost, who would have thought? But as you can see, he failed miserably, and now is gone. You should be honored though Zacky boy, your end comes with the same instrument I used to eliminate my father, the one who killed me." Matthew raised the knife and brought it down towards Zack.

_I'm sorry Cody. I'm sorry I didn't believe you. I'm sorry mom. I couldn't protect him. Now I can't even protect you. _Zack thought helplessly.

Time seemed to slow down. Out of the corner of his eye, Zack saw a blur running towards him. Above him, he saw a shiny silver blade draw closer and closer to him. Instinctively, Zack put his hands up. The blade missed them as they latched onto the hand holding the deadly weapon. The weapon continued to try to force itself down. Zack felt his arms caving.

Suddenly a bright light enclosed Zack and Matthew. Zack opened his eyes slightly and saw two figures swirling around Matthew's body, eveloping him in a second bright light. As one figure completed another circuit Zack finally got a somewhat decent look at its face. It had darker blond hair and blue eyes. The other figure was longer and seemed almost wiry. It had brown and gray hair that was blurred into one swirl as it continued to circle Matthew along with the other figure.

_"You've caused too much for too long..." _The brown-gray haired one said.

_"Now it is time to right what is worng."_ The other one finished as the light grew unbearably bright. Zack had to cover his eyes, he could feel a strong wind pulling on his hair.

When Zack opened his eyes, he was still lying on the ground in pain. He looked over and saw Cody's body laying motionless next to him. The knife was several feet away from him. Groaning, Zack pulled himself over to Cody. "Cody? Buddy?"

Cody opened his eyes. Zack saw that once again they were Cody's soft, caring eyes, not Matthew's cold evil ones. "Z-Zack?" He said weakly. "W-where am I? What happened?"

"CODY!" Zack and Crystal yelled. She ran over to hug him and Zack weakly put his arm around his brother, glad that to have him back.

-Cody's POV-

_It's been several weeks since our encounter with Matthew. High school starts in a few days. Zack is dreading it, but I can't wait!_

_Matthew doesn't bother us anymore. According to what Zack said, I've assumed his parents see to that. As evil as he was though, I actually felt sorry for him. He showed me how a person can lose themselves and everything they stood for. Matthew was destroyed by grief, and eventually consumed by the ensuing hatred. It's a lesson everyone should take to heart._

_He also made a good point when he said "Blood is life." A person's blood is more than just a red liquid that flows through their veins. He's right, their spiritual blood is their life force. If a person loses either they lose their life. Sometimes the life that is lost is not always a physical life, but a spiritual one, as was the case with Matthew. Again, due to my incredibly sensitive nature, despite everything he did, I still felt bad for him. _

_Zack never leaves me alone anymore. I think he's afraid something will happen to me again. He even got a job at the mini-mart with me just so he can keep an eye on me. He doesn't admit it, but I know thats why. Even though I would like a little space sometimes, I know he's just trying to help. I can't thank him enough for it either._

_As for me, Zack is my blood. After what happened my spiritual blood still flows as strongly as ever. It forms a bond between Zack, my twin and myself, stronger than death. It is a bond between us that can never or will ever be broken.

* * *

_

**THE END**

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End file.
